Polysulphate Provides the Nutrients Cabbages Need

Research in Turkey into various fertilizer treatments for cabbages has revealed the important contribution that Polysulphate, applied before planting, can make to quality and marketable yield of this highly valued crop.

Understanding Cabbage Nutrient Requirements

Cabbage is one of the most popular vegetables in Turkey. With production lagging behind demand, researchers at Turkey’s Ege University and Bati Akdeniz Agricultural Research Institute, supported by the International Potash Institute (IPI), investigated what crop nutrition, aside from nitrogen and phosphorus, is required to enhance yield and quality, especially when potassium and sulfur are so key to crop performance.

The research team carried out an extensive field study, into the effect of different fertilizers on cabbage yield and quality, in southern Turkey to establish what crop nutrition strategies, with three different potassium sources, yield the best results.

Measuring for Maximum Performance

The results show that while a muriate of potash (MOP) application significantly enhanced cabbage crop performance, the addition of sulfur – either as Polysulphate or sulfate of potash (SOP) – improved yield and quality even further. The best result was from a treatment of Polysulphate with SOP, increasing the marketable yield of cabbages by 60% compared to the control. In addition, that treatment resulted in larger cabbage heads and better nutritional, and eating, quality.

This kind of research signposts the versatility of Polysulphate: used alone or combined with other products in a targeted strategy. It is already proving useful for helping to develop crop nutrition strategy advice for Turkish farmers wanting to enhance their cabbage enterprises.

References

The full paper Effect of Different Potassium and Sulfate Fertilizer Types on Cabbage Yield and Quality is published in e-ifc No. 56, published by the International Potash Institute.